History: 

Trinity is a strong supporter of mission.  Four young people who were raised
at Trinity have given themselves to full time Christian service.  Debbie Weissenburger, who serves with AIM,  Michael Anderson, Keynote with Campus Crusade, Fred Cheney formerly a missionary to Japan now a pastor in New Hampshire, and David Abdo, a pastor in Fresno, CA.

Trinity has always had a strong financial commitment to Mission Around 10% of the church budget is allocated each year to various local, national and international missions and missionaries. We also fully support our United Methodist Mission apportionments.   Between 1989 and 2008, except for one year, our church has supported this financial effort 100%.

However, mission is more than giving money and mission is not about geography, because God calls us into mission where we are.  

In 1983 the church, mainly youth, attended Mt. Top Work camp.  Then in 1996 Trinity embarked on its first adult mission team experience at Red Bird Mission.  Since that time these mission events have grown.  Our Youth have gone every summer on a mission experience and starting four years ago mission teams of mixed youth and adults have gone to Mexico working among migrant workers.  In 2008 our church also participated for the first time in VIM program of the UMC sending a team to  Biloxi, MS to restore houses lost in hurricane Katrina.  This April a group of men will be going again to Biloxi, MS.

Clearly these mission team experiences have been transformative for all participants. 

In 2006 Trinity participated in 40 Days of Community.  As part of that experience we have made a firm commitment that each small group is expected to participate in some form of mission project.  Most of our groups have done this and in many marvelous ways the love of Jesus has been made real for needy and hurting people.

Since the 1960’s one of the greatest “Missions” of Trinity has been Trinity Christian School (TCS). From its beginning as a Pre-School an elementary school was started in 1995 with our first first grade. This ministry has been a major outreach of Trinity.  Today almost 200 students and their families have been exposed to the love of Jesus through the ministry of the school.  The TCS Long Range Planning process now underway has shown that we have not even “scratched the surface” of what God can do in this area.   This process has also discovered the fact that communication – internal and external – is a major weakness and will need to be a growth area that will require strong focus.   There is strong support for TCS within the Trinity congregation.  The congregation entered into a ten year capital campaign and the building of a 17,000 sq ft facility.  100% of the cost for this facility was came from the congregation.  

At the same time there is a major disconnect between the ongoing ministry of TCS and the church. From a ministry perspective these two seem to exist side by side independently of each other.   There are huge opportunities for mutual ministry. The future strength and growth of TCS vitally depends on finding ways to get the members of TUMC more involved. But TCS also needs to make major efforts to articulate, motivate and involve the church in its ministry. 

Outcomes:

1. Continue to have at least two mission trip/team experiences a year.   

2. Work to find more and creative ways to make TCS and TUMC aware and involved in their mutual ministries. 

3. Continue to fully support our financial commitments to missions and missionaries.

4. Sponsor a yearly a Missions Fair.

5. Have missionaries we currently support speak to the congregation. Have programs for  youth to consider serving Jesus in full time mission and ministry.